Intrinsic Order
Our modern holistic vernacular and yoga vocabulary abounds with Sanskrit and Chinese terms. We intrinsically know that our breath rides on “Prana” – the Life Force; that our body vibrates with “Qi” – our essential energy; that as we raise “Kundalini” – we unleash our creative potential. We are well aware that if we want to restore the flow in our homes we should turn to “Feng Shui” and if we want to get into kinetic meditation we should practice “Tai-Chi.” We also know that if we want to resolve a conflict, strengthen a relationship or activate our goals we should consult the “I-Ching.” And we sure know that if we want to achieve optimal brain fitness we should develop both the “Ying” and the “Yang” hemispheres of our mind. Strangely, we live in a time when we are all seeking the “Guru” inside, in a time when your great aunt Mabel practices “Vipassana”, Madonna’s made “Kabbalah” a household word. It’s just so hip to throw these fancy words out there and garner some plaudits and credibility. But it is even better if we traced these terms to their roots.
Ying – the receptive force is an indelible aspect of Yang – its creative double. As the two aspects engage in the dance of creation – the constant interplay between dissolution and emergence they constitute the Tao. The Tao simply means the ultimate principle that binds the whole existence together. That existence is not chaos, that much is certain – it is cosmos. It follows an intrinsic order, and according to the ancient hermit Lao-tze, this perpetual unity of opposites is called the Tao. It is still uncertain how long ago the concept of Tao captured the hearts and minds of the Chinese people. Tao is a cosmic approach that represents the interconnectedness of all things and is similar to what is perceived, in Western thought as the microcosm within the macrocosm, the understanding that what is “above” (Sky) is also “below” (Earth). The Tao is often referred to as “the Mother” who guides us to live as she lives – gentle yet powerful, resilient yet strong, yielding like bamboo no matter how turbulent the winds. This ability to give way, to ebb, to flow without rigidity, to move with rather than against, will sustain us even during the harshest of times. It is that power that achieves change through effortless action, through non-doing rather than doing.
As we picture the iconic symbol of the black and white fishes cuddled in a tight embrace, we can clearly see how the moment of encounter is sealed by a path. On this path the Yang (the witness), meets the Ying (the shadow) to gain insight. It is that moment of threshold, when our true nature is revealed. And the very essence of that nature is the Tao. No temples have been built to worship the Tao, no statutes, no prayers, to priests, no rituals, that’s the beauty of it. And it is even more beautiful when we realize that we don’t have to attain the Tao, because it is inherent within each one of us – in the same way in which we cannot fully balance the masculine and feminine in the body.
If we were to breathe through the nose and placed the palm to check the flow – we would notice that the air flow is stronger on the right side. If we were to repeat the same experiment in two hours, we would witness how the left became more prevalent. Even more striking, we would realize that both sides can never be really equal, because that is the nature of balance. They are constantly adjusting, negotiating, seeking perfection. Certain times we need to practice compassion and receptivity, other times we need determination and proactivity to push things forward. Being in a state of “radical balance” is not contingent only on being gentle or wise, or fair and good. It is rather an act of being truthful and aligned with that inner Tao- which is a reflection of intrinsic order. The art of being in the flow with the way things are requires a subtle interplay between Ying and Yang, between doing and non doing. We hone our perceptiveness and receptivity and like a good athlete we enter a state of body awareness in which the right stroke or the right movement happens by itself, effortlessly, without interference of the conscious will.
This is the paradigm of non-action: the purest and most effective form of action. The game plays the game, the poem writes the poem, we can’t tell the dancer from the dance. In that moment than is done, and nothing is left undone. Nothing is done because the doer has wholeheartedly vanished into the deed; the fuel has completely transformed into the flame. This nothing is in fact “everything” and it happens when we trust the intelligence of the universe, in the same way that a dancer trusts the superior intelligence of the body. As we observe the perpetual dance of Ying and Yang inside our bodies and minds we witness the mutability of everything and cultivate suppleness and adaptability in times of change. Unencumbered by the concept of sin, we no longer see evil as a force to resist, but simply as an opaqueness, as a state of self-absorption, which is in disharmony with the universal process.
Flowing within the Ying and Yang we master nature, not in the sense of conquering it, but in the sense of becoming it. In surrendering to the Tao, in giving up all concepts, judgments and desires, our minds have grown naturally compassionate. We find deep within our own experience the central truths of the art of living, which are paradoxical. Juggling with paradox we realize that the more truly solitary we are, the more compassionate we can be; the more we let go of what we love, the more present our love becomes; the clearer our insight into what is beyond good and evil, the more we can embody the good, until finally we are able to say, in all humility “I am the Tao, the truth, the Life”. Then we can live life in complete accord with nature.
Yogea Ying-Yang Mudra & Meditation practice: Intrinsic Order
This Yogea mudra and meditation practice allows you to observe the interplay between the receptive and creative forces within you as a reflection of the intrinsic order of the Universe. Specific “mudras” combine with deep diaphragmatic breathing to balance Ida (feminine) & Pingala (masculine) – the two main nerve channels through which life force passes. The alternation of sides, and flow balances the right and the left brain hemispheres, as brings us into a state of inner knowing and heart intelligence. The breathing and mudra practice culminates in a creative visualization to restore the sense of flow in the body and continuity in the mind. As a result the inner truth is revealed and a state of effortless living ensues.
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